Without a Doubt
by Sherlock's Imaginary Friend
Summary: Five years after she escaped, Max is recaptured. For no real reason she can think of, Lydecker sends her out on a mission, despight being a flight risk. There's a catch. X5 494 has to go with.
1. Prologue

******Disclaimer:** Sadly, i do not own Dark Angel, otherwise, the series would still be running

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**Without a Doubt**

Five years after she escaped, Max is recaptured. For no real reason she can think of, Lydecker sends her out on a mission, despight being a flight risk. There's a catch. X5 494 has to go with.

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The mess hall would have been almost silent to human ears, although, to those in it, it was loud enough. When you could hear a conversation across the room, there wasn't really such a thing as privacy, so, by default, the transgenics stayed quiet while eating. It wasn't easy in a top-secret facility to keep a conversation in the ears only of those you wished it to be with, but they'd managed to go about it reasonably well.

Max bit back a sigh as a tall, very annoying X5 made his way into the room, all eyes turning to him without him needing to do anything. Max went back to pushing what passed as food around on her plate. She would normally eat it, but she really wasn't hungry, something that worried her. Naturally, if she were to tell any of the instructors, they'd have her sent to the med-bay, make her get a check-up, but she really wasn't in the mood for it.

She ground her teeth as someone dropped heavily onto the seat next to her, and the mess hall became silent. She gave her food a bit more interest as she piled the goop into a slop mess, determined not to let those around her see anymore humiliation. She'd had enough of it in her time on the mats.

"What's the matter, 452? Worried about hand-to-hand combat next?" the X5 next to her taunted. Max refused to rise to the bait. The first time she'd done it, she'd been sent to psy-ops for a week. It didn't sound like much, but even for her, a week without rest, let alone sleep, was torture.

"The way I remember it, you always get your ass kicked." The X5 continued. She looked up, looking at the green eyes that had become so familiar in her passed years, before she picked up her still full try, shoved it, not into his face like she desperately wanted to, but the trash before sticking it onto the pile to clean. As soon as the door closed behind her, she knew the hall would be back to talking. They just enjoyed seeing her CO push her to edge, and see if she would jump off.

Officially, she was in unit 3 now, under the command of X5 494, but she very rarely trained with them. Instead, she mostly did it alone, thanks to her 'traitor' status. She knew why they actually kept her separate. She was better than Maticore liked, her being from the outside and all. She knew she could take 494 on, however, she also knew the consequences of such an action. She was allowed to take on the X6 groups and the X7s that came before her on the training mats, hidden from everyone else, but the X5s, her group were to be kept in the dark.

So, on the rare occasion, like this one where she actually had to train with her unit, she was given very strict orders. Under no circumstances was she allowed to win against them. Actually, her orders included for her to fail miserably. So, when, she'd first attacked 494 in the mess hall, rendering him unconscious, and fought off a large group of the X5, she'd been severely punished. She still had the scars years later.

They were starting to ease the leash on her, though. After her fist two years of being back behind the fences, she started to earn the privileges that the other X5s had: beds with an actual mattress, a pillow and coffee. She'd recently even been allowed outside without a guard. Slowly, bit by bit, she'd somehow managed to call the place home. She wasn't stupid. She'd never get out on a mission: she'd be a flight risk. After her first attempt at escaping, and finding herself all dressed up with no-where to go, she knew she wasn't getting out that way any time soon either.

So she'd done the only thing she could: made it as homely as possible. Don't get her wrong, it was still grey as storm clouds, but she could now see the sun. Here she didn't need to hide her instincts from those around her: they already knew them. She was a predator, _she_ gave the chase, _she_ didn't run, and most importantly, _she_ made the kill.

She headed towards the gym, breathing deeply, getting herself under control. She knew she needed to take a dive every time she was put on the mat, and she always needed to do it fast. The door opened automatically, and she was surprised to find Lydecker in the room as well. She saluted to him before moving over to the mats, stretching.

One after the other, the rest of her unit entered. Max took her place at the end of the line, ready to make a fool of herself again. She'd been jumping though their hoops often enough to know what would happen.

"X5 452, 494." Max was surprised that she began up against her leader, but didn't do anything about it. Not a trickle of emotion showed in her eyes, her mask up, leaving no cracks in it. She moved on to the mat, slipping into a fighting stance that was deliberately wrong, and would give her a bad balance.

"Wait." Lydecker's voice stopped her in her tracks, and she turned to look at him, moving into attention. A glance in her direction caused her to rethink the action, and instead, she repoisoned herself to be in more ease. "X5 452, are you ready to be a proper part of this unit?" he looked at Max and she struggled to keep the mask up, to keep the thoughts swirling inside her head away from him.

"Sir?" she asked, wondering if he meant what the only thing she could come up with.

"452 are you ready to show this unit what you can do?" he clarified. It took her all her training and self control not to smile at his words.

"Sir, yes, Sir!" she was sure she imagined it, but for a moment, she could have sworn that there'd been a twinkle in his eye. Almost like the pride she'd seen in Zack's before they'd broken out the first time.

"Unit 3, you have been authorised to use the whole gym to take down 452."

"Sir?" this time it was 494's time to look confused. Surely he didn't want the nine of them to all attack 452? She wasn't able to take them down one-by-one, let alone, all at once.

"Don't underestimate her, 494. Form up, group attack on 452." The unit quickly surrounded 452, the same thought running through their heads: what the hell was going on?

"Once I leave this room you are authorised to commence." Lydecker swiftly turned, allowing the other instructors out before him. Max allowed herself a feral smile. She could finally get some pay-back. "Oh, 452." Lydecker called as an after though. "We're going to need them operational." He left after that without a word.

As they had been drilled, four of Unit 3 moved in sync to take her out, blurring forward, thinking this would be an easy mark. None of them really concentrated, so when their target pushed 371 into one of the others, they had to look twice to make sure he hadn't tripped. But, no, 452 had somersaulted over him, and pushed his back to make him stumble. She landed on her feet, so they knew something was going on. Warier this time, they each made their move, pulling into action as they one by one, began to take her on, trying to leave her back open.

371, now having something to prove, went in first, surprised to find his kicks and punched matched. He smiled when he landed a blow, but the look was quickly wiped off his face as his leg was grabbed and he was swung around, smashing into his CO.

Max looked around, and seeing the wall, an idea mapped itself in her head. Quickly jumping over 829, she raced towards it, flipping back over and landing behind her pursuer. Having him in a head-lock, and a quick movement that was only used in the training to symbolise breaking someone's neck, 321 tapped the ground twice to show he was out. Max turned to face the eight other on-coming X5, smiling to see they were getting annoyed. They would probably make more mistakes now.

829 reached her, and after a brief struggle, flipped Max over her shoulder. Max fell into a roll, swiping at the feet of the person in front of her and dislocating their arm before she even knew who it was. 691 would be out of the fight, until he could get to a medic, one that would make sure that nothing else had been harmed before they popped the shoulder joints back together.

Two down, seven to go. She smiled wickedly as they paused to watch her, now realising their mistake. Lydecker had told them not to underestimate their enemy, and that was exactly what they'd done.

Looking at each other, they flipped three of the 'alive' transgenics over, so they landed in a triangle around her. One of them immediately grabbed her arm, pulling it into an arm lock. She sunk to her knees before twisting and kicking out at the transgenic's legs. She shot up and mimicked snapping his neck with her foot, getting two taps and you're out from him

Her legs where swiped out from under her, and she fell, catching herself on her arms and pushing straight up, smashing her head in whoever's nose it came into contact with. They swore, but managed to get her into a head lock before she could move. Naturally, Max resorted to street flighting, jamming her boot between his legs. His grip loosened considerably and she tipped him to the floor with a nudge. She heard two taps behind her.

Realising their current strategies weren't working, the four transgenics left over looked to their CO for help. He twitched his finger at one of them, telling them to go with the one on one again, while he'd get behind her. Their 2IC moved forward, only getting close enough for his kicks or punches to hit, before moving back, so he wouldn't get a flogging from her. Unfortunately, he hadn't realised the pattern he made when he moved in, and was promptly knocked unconscious as he moved in for the kill again.

Max used the fallen man to stall 494, as she raced to another X5 waiting on the outskirts. They had managed to get a few good kicks in and where going into for a knock-out blow to her head, when they were dragged to the other side of her, using his momentum to her advantage. He stumbled, and landing strangely, broke a wrist, sending him out of the fight.

Max wasn't sure what idiot decided to blur at her, but used it to throw them against the wall, where the sound of their rib cracking caused everyone to flinch.

494 watched in horror as there were only two of his team left standing against the '09er. 348 rushed to her back, having learnt not to blur at her, he stopped, trying to get the escapee into a head lock. Max flipped over his back, landing behind him, taping a knee to the base of his spine, letting him know it was broken.

494 growled in frustration. This wasn't possible! He glared at her, but, taking the mistakes of his unit in hand, he moved forward to confront her. She blocked his every move, seeming content to wait her turn. Her breathing was heaving, having had a hard work out, and she was becoming fatigued. He knew it. So when one of his kicks left her off balance, it was a surprise to him when she jerked him down with her, and 'broke' his neck.

He grudgingly gave her the two taps to win, and she jumped off him, stepping back as Lydecker re-entered the room. The fight had lasted ten minutes, and even he was surprised that she'd been able to pull it off. Yet he gave her the comments needed for the moment before sending them off to their respected places, be it the firing range or the med-bay.

Alex frowned behind his Manticore mask. He could still see Lydecker levelling his eyes with him. Yes, he admitted, he'd learnt his lesson very well. Lydecker had told them it at the beginning of the match, even. Hell, he'd practically made it an order in the fight, and his whole unit had disobeyed it. They would all have been killed, had it been a real fight. Nine adversaries, against the one, and they'd still managed to lose, although, how 452 had managed it was another question. He turned to their instructor on the firing range, seeing the same thought going his unit's minds. They'd had it drilled into them at an early age, and yet they were still learning it: _never underestimate the enemy._

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**A/N: this fic will be updated very, very, very irregularly, depending on insperation, homework and mum and dad trying to run my life. I'm really sorry.**

_Would love some reviews, though! ;D_


	2. Chapter 1

******Disclaimer:** Sadly, i do not own Dark Angel, otherwise, the series would still be running

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**Without a Doubt**

Five years after she escaped, Max is recaptured. For no real reason she can think of, Lydecker sends her out on a mission, despight being a flight risk. There's a catch. X5 494 has to go with.

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The mess hall was loud as 452 walked towards it, the other transgenics more than likely already being half way through their meal. She'd be with her unit on time. As the doors slid shut behind her, the mess hall fell silent, the way it did for 494. Everyone's eyes shifted to her, and she could taste the disbelief in the air. Apparently word had gotten around about the beat-down she had given her unit. She forced down the feral smile, and moved to get her breakfast, although still not exactly hungry.

What she didn't expect, when she sat, was the crowed that gathered around her, trying to antagonise her. While Lydecker had given her permission to blitz unit 3 in the gym, she wasn't sure if she would be allowed to do so now, in the mess hall. So she sucked it up, like a good little solider, and did her best to tune them out. Once she'd spent enough time in the mess hall to have seemed like she'd eaten, she headed out, surprised at the presence beside her.

Eventually, the tall X5 spoke, his words quiet so the ordinaries around them didn't hear.

"How did you do that yesterday?" Max looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She didn't know much about 494, no-one did. All they knew was that he was once arguably the best X5 solider in Manticore. He'd held the other's attention, not for an unknown reason, but because he was feared. Then he'd gone on a deep-cover mission. As per normal, no-one knew anything about it. He'd been set a mission, and he was to complete it. He'd been there for a year. When he came back, however, instead of getting a debriefing, he'd been forcefully dragged into Phsy-ops. He'd been drugged, and the transgenics could have slung him over their backs, but they hadn't done that out of the tatters of the respect left for him. After that, he hadn't been sent on any big missions, and _never_ something that had any chance of using bombs of any kind.

What Max found even stranger was that he'd warmed up to her. He hadn't said anything for a few months, but he'd sat with her in the mess hall. She knew he was trying to get away from his unit, that much had been obvious, but she had no ideas after that. Then he'd gotten back into his old self, mocking as much as he could be within the walls and wire here. He'd slipped back into his role as a CO, but had still sat with her on occasion, but only to antagonise her. Like them all, she ignored him, however.

"Do what?" Max replied instead. She hadn't had any further orders on her status among her unit, and she wasn't after a trip downstairs anytime soon.

Arriving at the forest, Max lined up again, holding herself in reserve. She stayed where she belonged, at the end of the line, ignoring everyone else, pulling back into her own world. She almost jumped when the instructor came in, quickly turning it into a snap to attention. She only half listened to what the man said, knowing she'd be able to recite the whole thing already. The speech never changed. She was getting ready to be a poor captured transgenic, before she got a second surprise in the same amount of days.

"X5 452, you are to report to Lydeker. Repeat."

"Sir, I am to go directly to Lydecker's office for reasons unknown, sir." Max answered, looking straight out. She knew, to everyone else her voice would be almost monotonous, and her eyes would be blank. Good. That was what they'd ordered from her. It was what they were getting: not an inch of information about what was running through her head.

"Dismissed." While Unit 3 got together for their exercise, Max moved from her spot, towards where she knew Lydecker would be. Why would he want to see her? She couldn't get an answer. She'd been doing exactly what she'd been told: being emotionless, cold, and really bad by X5 standards. With the exception of the combat the day before, she had fooled all of them to think she was, by far the worst there was, almost tripping over her own feet.

All too soon, she came to Lydecker's door. Taking a breath, he hesitantly knocked, struggling to fit the mask she'd created back on. However, it ad apparently shrunk in the wash, and she knew there'd be stretch marks where someone who knew her could see through. That someone was Lydecker.

"Enter!" the barked order caused her to freeze for a moment, before mentally hitting herself and opening the door. Immediately Lydecker looked up, almost smiling at her. She moved with deadly grace, as she crossed the room, standing at attention.

"X5 452, Sir!" she cried, he could see her choose a spot on the wall the way they'd been taught at an early age. That told him he'd spooked her. This wasn't normal, and she knew it. She just wasn't sure what to d about it.

"At ease." Max shifted to the position, but he could clearly see she wasn't anymore relaxed. If anything she seemed more worried. He sighed to himself. He couldn't have everything in life, but it'd make it a hell of a lot easer if his soldiers trusted him. "About four hours ago, we received Intel on the where-abouts of one of the 09 escapies." Lydecker watched 452 like a hawk, reading every flicker, every twitch as it was. He needed to be sure about all this, he thought.

"Sir?" she questioned and she had every right, he knew. She had no idea what was going on. He thought about the information that had landed on his desk 24 hours ago. He needed to make a quick decision, and it needed to be a good one.

"I need to know their moves, their thoughts. I need to know that they're thinking before they do. And the best person for that job is standing right in front of me. Now, I'm asking you a direct question. Would you be able to do it?" Lydecker slammed his fist down on the table, happy to notice the flicker on unease that flew though Max's eyes.

"Sir, if I am to know my opponent's moves, I will have to observe them myself. Face to face. I will need to be able to read their body language, and they will not stand there and discuss their tatics with a Manticore solider." She replied immediately. Lydecker smiled grimly, but inside he was almost laughing. She was almost there, she knew the answers, but she was thinking for her self. Hell, she'd even called herself a solider! Now, if he could only find out how far she was.

"Would they listen to you, 452? If they talked to a former unit member, they may be made to see sense." Max squirmed in her head. Why was he putting her in this position? She couldn't leave the compound: she knew they all thought of her as a flight risk. She felt as if she was stuck between the rock and the hard place, and she had no idea where to turn. On one hand, she could go and see her siblings, but she knew, if she brought them back, she'd never regain their trust. They'd hate her forever. On the other hand, this may be her only opportunity to get out of here. Strangely, she didn't really want to leave. It'd become all she'd known. She wouldn't feel right outside without some kind of back-up. She had no idea how she'd done it the first time. She knew she'd now fell completely lost, and it would show. Eventually, she managed to come to her decision.

"Sir, I doubt it, sir!"

"And why is that, 452?" Lydecker knew the answer. He just wanted to see if she'd say it.

"Because I'm called 452, instead of Max, sir. I can not go against my siblings, sir. As I know their actions and reactions, they know mine, sir. And I don't know if I'd be able to bring them in." Lydecker inwardly smiled. Yes, she was ready. He knew she'd never be on the retrieval missions: that would go against the instincts he'd drilled into her unit. He'd taught them never to leave anyone behind, they were what mattered. In hind sight, that was mostly likely a very large factor in their escape. It would also hinder their efforts to re-induct them. They would fight harder against the current, seeing their sister so willingly fighting on Manticore's side. Lydecker nodded at her.

"Very well, 452. Report back here again at 0400 hours tomorrow to be briefed." He couldn't help but feel bad about the shock that immediately claimed Max's face, her mask shattered. At this moment in time she couldn't know that she wasn't going after one of her siblings. It was essential to their cover. She would need to be depressed, angsty, miserable and down-right nasty for this to come off. After all, if word got out that they were sending an 09'er on a deep cover mission, they'd have a re-volt on their hands.


End file.
